Classroom Narratives: Healing in Education

📝 Episode Synopsis

In the final installment of the HEART series, Dr. Joey Weisler explores the Truth pillar and asks what may be the most important question of all:

What do students do with everything they've learned?

Beginning with a classroom tradition in which students read Joey's own screenplay about the aftermath of the Parkland tragedy, this episode examines how storytelling can become a bridge between lived experience and meaningful learning—not through disclosure for its own sake, but through responsible reflection and purposeful communication.

Through examples spanning English, mathematics, science, engineering, econo...

📝 Episode Synopsis

For generations, education has celebrated the teacher who arrives first, stays last, answers emails at midnight, and sacrifices everything in the name of serving students. But what if those habits aren't signs of dedication at all?

In this episode, Dr. Joey Weisler speaks with educator, speaker, and author Dr. Yvette Dixon-Ledford, author of Teacher By Day: A No-Guilt Guide to Boundaries, Balance, and Bliss, to challenge one of education's most dangerous assumptions: that caring more must always mean doing more, and often beyond contractual hours.

Together, they explore teacher burnout, professional bou...

📝 Episode Synopsis

In the fifth installment of the HEART series, Dr. Joey Weisler explores the Resilience pillar and reframes one of education's greatest misconceptions: that struggle signals failure.

Through stories ranging from a classroom disagreement in college literature to a powerful eighth-grade "No Puedo" ceremony that continues to shape his teaching today, Joey argues that emotion is not the opposite of learning—it is often evidence that learning is taking place.

This episode examines how educators can respond when students encounter discomfort, resistance, frustration, or failure without attempting to eliminate those emotions altogether. Inste...

📝 Episode Synopsis

What makes students genuinely want to come to school?

In this episode of Classroom Narratives, Dr. Joey Weisler sits down with principal, speaker, and author Shaun Hurtado to explore how school culture is created—not through slogans or assemblies, but through thousands of intentional interactions between students, teachers, and leaders.

Together they discuss why every student deserves at least one trusted adult, how administrators can lead through visibility instead of isolation, and why authentic relationships are among the strongest forms of prevention available in today's schools. Shaun shares practical leadership strategies from...

📝 Episode Synopsis

In the fourth installment of the HEART series, Dr. Joey Weisler explores the Awareness pillar and asks one of education's most important questions: Why does this matter?

Reflecting on a first-year teaching assignment that left both him and his students uninspired, Joey introduces a different vision for learning—one where curiosity replaces compliance and students move beyond simply completing assignments to creating meaningful work that reflects their own interests, values, and purpose.

Through the framework of Recognition, Expression, and Solution, this episode explores how educators can help students identify what they care...

📝 Episode Synopsis

For decades, health education has focused on what students should eat. But what if the bigger question is how students think about food, their bodies, and themselves?

In this episode of Classroom Narratives, Dr. Joey Weisler sits down with registered dietitian, nutrition therapist, and author Lauren Dorman to explore the emotional side of nutrition and why lasting health begins with self-compassion—not self-criticism. Drawing from more than twenty years of clinical experience, Lauren shares how social media, diet culture, body image, and shame are shaping today's students, and why schools must move beyond calor...

📝 Episode Synopsis

What happens when a scientist, substitute teacher, and congressional candidate all become the same person?

In this episode of Classroom Narratives: Healing in Education, Dr. Joey Weisler sits down with Amanda Bell to explore an unconventional career rooted in one common purpose: serving others. After nearly 25 years with the U.S. Geological Survey, Amanda stepped away from federal service and into Wisconsin classrooms as a substitute teacher—experiences that ultimately shaped her decision to run for Congress.

Rather than focusing on politics, this conversation examines what classrooms reveal about leadership, empathy, educa...

📝 Episode Synopsis

In the third installment of the HEART series, Dr. Joey Weisler explores the Engagement pillar and challenges one of education's most persistent questions: How do we get students to care?

Reflecting on experiences ranging from teaching Night in middle school to designing an innovative college business writing course, Joey argues that authentic engagement isn't created through compliance or performance. Instead, it emerges when students see themselves in their learning.

This episode introduces two complementary forms of engagement—academic and emotional—and offers a practical framework for helping students connect classroom content to thei...

📝 Episode Synopsis

What happens when we stop trying to fix people's pain and instead learn how to truly witness it?

In this episode of Classroom Narratives, Dr. Joey Weisler welcomes narrative medicine practitioner and occupational therapist Dr. Rondalyn Whitney for a profound conversation on grief, storytelling, and compassionate listening.

The discussion ultimately invites educators to reconsider what it truly means to respond responsibly—not by carrying another person's pain, but by helping them know they do not have to carry it alone.

In this episode, we discuss:

📝 Episode Synopsis

In the second installment of the HEART series, Dr. Joey Weisler explores the first pillar of the HEART framework: Habits. Reflecting on his early years as a college professor, Joey shares how he once believed academic rigor meant assigning more work—until both his students and his own life revealed a different path.

This episode examines how simple, predictable classroom routines can foster psychological safety, increase student ownership, and strengthen engagement without sacrificing rigor. Through practical examples—from classroom circles and invitational language to flexible assessment choices—Joey argues that effective habits aren't about con...

📝 Episodic Synopsis

What happens when caregiving stops being driven by fear and starts being rooted in connection?

In this deeply reflective episode of Classroom Narratives: Healing in Education, Dr. Joey Weisler sits down with nurse leader, educator, healthcare innovator, and author Winston Meikle for a conversation that bridges the worlds of healthcare and education through one shared reality: the emotional weight of caring for others.

Drawing from more than four decades in nursing and patient advocacy, Winston explores burnout, survival mode, patient-centered care, authenticity, and the emotional toll that helping professions often place on...

📝 Episode Synopsis

In the first installment of the HEART & SOUL series, Dr. Joey Weisler shares the deeply personal story that helped shape the foundation of the HEART framework. Long before he entered a classroom as a teacher, Joey recognized what he calls "the look"—the quiet expression carried by people who simply want to feel visible.

Through reflections on a high school friendship, and the loss of the friend to suicide, and the lessons learned from years of trying to help others heal through direct intervention efforts, Joey explores the difference between caring for people and c...

📝 Episodic Synopsis

In this special “Weisler Alumni” segment of Classroom Narratives: Healing in Education, Dr. Joey Weisler reconnects with Haylie — a former Parkland-area student now studying sociology and higher education at Georgia Southern University. Together, they reflect on growing up in the aftermath of the MSD tragedy, navigating grief during adolescence, and the educators who helped make school feel safe, human, and healing.

Haylie opens up about losing her father to glioblastoma during middle school, the friendships that carried her through, and the classroom environments that helped her breathe during difficult seasons of life. From calming w...

📝 Episodic Synopsis

‼️ PROFANITY LANGUAGE ALERT in this episode ‼️

What if anger itself isn’t the problem?

In this powerful episode of Classroom Narratives: Healing in Education, Dr. Joey Weisler speaks with psychologist and anger specialist Dr. Mitch Abrams to unpack one of the most misunderstood emotions in education and society.

Drawing from his book I’m Not Fcking Angry: Adjust the Flame to Get What You Want and Need*, Dr. Abrams challenges the idea that anger should simply be suppressed or feared. Instead, he explores the critical distinction between anger and aggression, the...

‼️DISCLAIMER‼️ This segment discusses themes of violence within communities, significantly around Sandy Hook Elementary School (2012). Please take care of yourself while listening.

In this deeply moving episode of Classroom Narratives: Healing in Education, Dr. Joey Weisler sits down with Abbey Clements, a second-grade teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School during the tragedy of December 14, 2012.

Drawing from the anthology If I Don’t Make It, I Love You, Abbey reflects on survival, grief, educator presence, and the invisible emotional labor teachers carry in the aftermath of collective trauma. Together, Joey and Abbey explore what it means t...

What happens when parents, teachers, and students all feel pressure to “get it right” — but nobody was ever given the manual?

In this deeply reflective episode of Classroom Narratives, Dr. Joey Weisler sits down with clinical psychologist Dr. Julie Davelman to explore the emotional realities underneath modern education: parent burnout, frustration tolerance, identity formation, perfectionism, divorce, college transition, and the overwhelming pressure families carry while trying to support children “correctly.”

Together, they unpack why so many students struggle not because they lack ability, but because they lack space to fail, recover, and develop resilience. The conversati...

📝 Episodic Synopsis

What does it mean to truly listen—not just hear, but witness?

In this powerful panel conversation, Dr. Joey Weisler is joined by Rosa McAllister and Tieshka K Smith to explore how intentional listening can transform communities. Drawing from their work on the Listening Loom project and their contributions to Restorative Practices in Education Through the Arts, they unpack how art, storytelling, and human connection create space for healing across cultures, identities, and lived experiences.

From classrooms to community spaces, this episode challenges educators and leaders to rethink participation, redefine safety, and e...

📝 Show Synopsis

What if listening wasn’t about responding—but about being present?

In this episode, Dr. Joey Weisler speaks with artist Kathryn Pannepacker about “intentional listening” as a practice of care, not correction. Through her Listening Loom project, Kathryn creates spaces where people are asked two simple questions: How are you doing? and What do you need?

Together, they explore how educators can foster connection without becoming “fixers,” why presence matters more than performance, and how small moments of attention can reshape classroom culture.

🔗 Links and Resources

📌 Lisa Kay on the Classroom...

📝 Show Notes (Key Ideas & Takeaways)

What if healing isn’t just about looking back—but also about learning to listen forward?

In this episode of Classroom Narratives, Dr. Joey Weisler sits down with Ron Yap (@mentalhealthceo) to explore the dual work of healing the inner child while also meeting the inner hero—the future version of ourselves who has already found meaning, clarity, and direction.

Drawing from his work in Finding Meaning in Life When It Feels Like There Is None, Ron unpacks how people lose their sense of purpose through survival mode, identity...

🧭 Episodic Synopsis

What if burnout isn’t coming from the workload—but from disconnection?

In this episode of Classroom Narratives, Dr. Joey Weisler sits down with leadership expert Leila Boutaleb Brousse, founder of Eyelee Growth and creator of the Unhooked Leadership Method, to explore what it really means to operate in “survival mode”—and why so many educators and leaders feel stuck there.

Leila challenges the idea that empathy alone is enough, introducing a critical distinction: empathy without boundaries isn’t leadership—it’s self-sacrifice. Together, they unpack how people-pleasing, decision fatigue, and chronic overextensi...

📝 Episodic Synopsis

What happens when learning stops being about information—and starts becoming about invention?

In this episode of Classroom Narratives: Healing in Education, Dr. Joey Weisler sits down with educator, author, and innovation specialist Dr. Fred Estes to explore how design thinking can transform the classroom into a space of agency, creativity, and real-world impact.

Drawing from decades of experience across K–12 and higher education, Dr. Estes introduces the “ABCs of learning”—Agency, Belonging, and Competence—and challenges educators to move beyond traditional models of instruction that prioritize memorization over meaning.

Together, Joe...

📝 Episode synopsis

What happens when the world writes your story before you even begin?

In this deeply honest and urgent conversation, Dr. Dwight “Kofi” Rogers—district leader, author of Change the Narrative, Don’t Let the Narrative Change You, and 2025 ACSA Administrator of the Year—joins Dr. Joey Weisler to explore the lived realities of identity, perception, and power in education.

From growing up navigating isolation and racialized narratives in school to leading transformative conversations around equity and belonging, Dr. Rogers unpacks how societal narratives shape both students and educators—and what it takes to active...

🎧 Episode Synopsis (for notes/description)

What if resilience isn’t something you “have”…but something that’s built—moment by moment, relationship by relationship?

In this episode of Classroom Narratives, Dr. Joey Weisler sits down with Dr. Rob Martinez—educator, former superintendent, and author of Recipes for Resilience—to challenge everything we think we know about resilience in schools.

From losing his mother at 13 to rebuilding his life through connection, mentorship, and education, Rob shares a deeply personal story that reshapes resilience as a process rooted in safety, care, and community—not grit alone.

Together...

📝 Episode Synopsis

In this deeply honest and affirming conversation, Dr. Joey Weisler sits down with clinical psychologist Dr. Claire Plumbly to explore the lived reality of burnout—what it is, how it shows up in the body, and why so many educators find themselves quietly unraveling while trying to hold everything together.

Drawing from her work in trauma and her book The Trauma of Burnout, Dr. Plumbly breaks down the difference between stress and burnout, guiding listeners through the emotional, cognitive, and physical signs that often go unnoticed until it’s too late. Together, Joey and Cla...

📌Episode Synopsis

In this powerful episode of Classroom Narratives: Healing in Education, Dr. Joey Weisler sits down with literacy scholar and educator Dr. Katie Egan Cunningham to explore how stories shape the human experience—both inside and outside the classroom.

Together, they examine why stories matter not only as texts but as lived experiences. From novels and playlists to social media and personal memory, stories help young people make sense of the world and themselves. Dr. Cunningham reflects on how literature allows students to see themselves and others through what educators call “windows and mirrors,” while als...

Episode Synopsis

In this episode of Classroom Narratives: Healing in Education, Dr. Joey Weisler speaks with Bruce Liebe, a retired Illinois State Police officer with over 30 years of law enforcement experience and a longtime instructor in active threat training and tactical response.

Together, they explore the intersection between education and prevention—specifically how educators, administrators, and communities can recognize early warning signs that may indicate a student in distress or at risk of causing harm.

Drawing from research, real cases, and decades of field experience, Bruce explains the five phases many active attackers mo...

📝 Episode Synopsis (for episode description)

In this powerful conversation, Dr. Joey Weisler sits down with nationally recognized special education leader and behavioral consultant Bev Johns, whose four-decade career has helped shape special education law, classroom practice, and behavioral supports across the United States. Bev shares deeply personal stories—from teaching students who were once denied access to school altogether, to advocating for legislation protecting students from harmful disciplinary practices.

Together, they explore what happens when behavior is misunderstood, why teachers’ calls for help often go unheard, and how trauma, anxiety, and invisible disabilities manifest in classro...

🗒️ Episodic Synopsis

In this episode of Classroom Narratives: Healing in Education, Dr. Joey Weisler speaks with Principal Robert Hinchcliffe—award-winning school leader, author of More Than Just Principals, and nationally recognized advocate for human-centered school leadership.

Drawing on more than two decades as an elementary school administrator, Hinchcliffe shares what it truly means to lead a school in today’s climate. He reflects on servant leadership, the emotional complexity of guiding teachers and students, and why visibility, relationships, and trust must come before compliance. He challenges rigid curriculum systems, emphasizing the importance of differentiation, teacher autonomy...

Episodic Synopsis

In Part II of this conversation with Jeremy Brooks, Classroom Narratives shifts from leadership identity to leadership responsibility — exploring school safety, crisis response, and the systems that support students, educators, and families during difficult moments.

Jeremy reflects on guiding school communities through loss, the importance of transparent communication during crises, and the responsibility educators carry in balancing emotional care with professional boundaries. Together, he and Dr. Joey Weisler discuss proactive safety planning, SEL practices across disciplines, and the role of and PBIS frameworks in creating supportive school climates.

At the center of...

Episode Synopsis

In Part I of this two-part conversation, Dr. Joey Weisler sits down with educator, former principal, doctoral researcher, and media host Jeremy Brooks to explore what leadership truly looks like during difficult moments in education.

Drawing from his journey from classroom teacher to administrator to founder of Brooks Broadcasting, Jeremy reflects on how leadership is not defined by titles, but by presence, integrity, and service to students and educators. Together, Joey and Jeremy discuss teacher burnout, compassion fatigue, the importance of visible leadership in school communities, and how trauma-informed practices can shape healthier...

📌 Episode Synopsis

In this episode of Classroom Narratives: Healing in Education, Dr. Joey Weisler sits down with storyteller and teaching artist Rachael Harrington to explore how storytelling can rebuild connection, imagination, and community in the aftermath of isolation and disruption.

Drawing from her background as a middle school art teacher and illustrator, Rachael shares how the “invitation to play” became central to her teaching philosophy and later evolved into her storytelling work with schools, libraries, and families. She reflects on creating Morning Circle during the COVID shutdown, using stories and art-making to provide routine, creativity, and emo...

📝 Episodic Synopsis

What does it really mean to rise when the special education system feels overwhelming, opaque, and emotionally exhausting?

In this episode of Classroom Narratives: Healing and Education, Dr. Joey Weisler is joined by Mark Ingrassia, longtime special education advocate, former teacher, parent-coach, and founder of Special Ed Rising: No Parent Left Behind. Together, they explore what families are facing behind the scenes—burnout, fear, withheld information, and the constant pressure to advocate without clear guidance.

Mark shares both professional insight and lived experience, offering a compassionate look at why parents need trust...

🧭 Episodic Synopsis

In Part II of this conversation, Dr. Joey Weisler sits down again with educator-scholar Dr. Adam Wolfsdorf to examine what happens after disruption—when trauma, authority, and behavior collide in the classroom. Moving beyond theory, this episode focuses on the ethical decisions educators must make in real time: when to intervene, when to pause, and when restraint is the most powerful pedagogical move.

Drawing from personal experience—including a formative moment as a Harvard undergraduate, classroom eruptions involving student crisis, and decades of teaching across secondary and higher education—Wolfsdorf interrogates how educa...

🧭 Episodic Synopsis

In this return conversation (since spring 2025), Dr. Joey Weisler welcomes back Dr. Adam Wolfsdorf—English educator, scholar, and author of Teaching in the Riptide—for a deep exploration of the moments in education that pull teachers off balance and force reckoning, reflection, and growth. Drawing on vivid classroom narratives, Dr. Wolfsdorf introduces the metaphor of the “riptide”: those unpredictable, disorienting moments that no amount of lesson planning or graduate training can fully prepare educators for.

Together, Weisler and Wolfsdorf examine obstructive and constructive subversions, unpacking how power shifts in classrooms when students challenge authority...

📘 Episodic Synopsis

In Part II of this two-part conversation, Dr. Joey Weisler and Christopher S. Mukiibi turn toward the heart of the work: connection, burnout, courage, and the deep human need to feel seen. Chris shares what his burnout research revealed — that connection, not rest alone, is what keeps teachers alive in the work — and how isolation inside classrooms can quietly erode purpose.

The conversation explores imposter syndrome, the nervous system in schools, public skepticism toward education, and why many educators still do the work despite misunderstanding or dismissal. Joey and Chris also reflect on the lif...

📘 Episodic Synopsis

In this powerful conversation, Dr. Joey Weisler sits down with educator, mentor, and creator Christopher S. Mukiibi to explore what real learning actually is—and why education must help students suffer less, not just perform better. Drawing from his own first year of teaching after the pandemic, his “Learning Compass” framework, and his experiences supporting students living through trauma, Chris speaks candidly about apathy, burnout, literacy, discipline, identity, and the deep human need for connection in schools.

Together, Joey and Chris discuss how literacy gives language to pain, how students “act out” experiences they cannot y...

🧭 Episodic Synopsis

In this Weisler Alumni segment of Classroom Narratives: Healing in Education, Dr. Joey Weisler sits down with Tom —Army Reserve Staff Sergeant, communications specialist, husband, and returning college student—to explore what happens when education becomes a space for recovery rather than survival.

Reflecting on his experience growing up in an underfunded rural school system, Tom shares how rigid, checkbox-driven classrooms pushed him away from higher education—and how the military unexpectedly reintroduced him to learning as a form of leadership, reflection, and meaning-making. Through trauma-informed writing, open classroom design, and mentorship-centered dialogue, Tom descr...

🎧 Episodic Synopsis

In this powerful alumni spotlight episode of Classroom Narratives: Healing in Education, Dr. Joey Weisler reconnects with a former student, Dieunise, for an unfiltered conversation about what it truly means to be a student in today’s education system. From K–12 classrooms to college lecture halls, Dieunise reflects on how education has shifted from learning to survival—and why that shift is failing so many students.

As a film and video student navigating an underfunded arts pathway, Dieunise shares the stark contrast between institutional support for STEM students and the isolation experienced by students...

🧠 Episodic Synopsis

In this student-voice segment of Classroom Narratives: Healing in Education, Dr. Joey Weisler sits down with former student Florence Shirman, a neuroscience and behavior major at Florida Atlantic University, to reflect on what learning feels like when education moves beyond grades and toward meaning.

Florence speaks candidly about her journey through school—from early experiences shaped by internal pressure rather than external expectations, to a college classroom where choice, conversation, and community transformed how she engaged with writing and learning. She shares how her semester-long Your Voice, Your Change project allowed her to respo...

🔗 Show Notes

In this episode, Dr. Joey Weisler sits down with Dr. Lisa Kay—art therapist, professor, and national leader in art education—to unpack why classrooms can feel restorative but are not therapy rooms.

Dr. Kay breaks down the essential differences between therapeutic spaces and clinical spaces, offers four pillars that make classrooms safer (predictability, flexibility, connection, empowerment), and explains how art-making helps students hold stress, regain control, and express what words can’t.

She also draws a clear boundary between art facilitation and art therapy, while sharing practical, classroom-ready art practices like “Str...